Subscribe to this blog

Receive our latest news directly by Email

Search This Blog

Italian Pasta Gratin by Stephie

Stephie's pasta gratin

This pasta gratin is highly inspired by my Italian friends cuisine.

This is just perfect for a winter evening. Kids will love it! But not only the kids! I made this large tray for 3 persons, 2 of them guys, and they finished the tray because they were enjoying it so much that they keep on serving themselves a little bit more, till the end!

Tip: You can prepare a big quantity of sauce in advance and freeze it. You will take it out in the morning and then your gratin can be ready quickly in the evening! The sauce can easily be used for any kind of pasta as well!

Ingredients for 4 persons:

- 400 grs of mix minced beef-pork

- 2 onions

- 1 carrot

- 300 grs of cooked peas

- 1l of tomato sauce

- Olive oil

- Salt, pepper and sugar

- 1 garlic clove

- 200 grs of mushrooms

- 100 grs of bacon

- Oregano

- 400 grs of pasta

- 200 grs of grated emmenthal

1/ First prepare the sauce. Peel the onions, garlic and carrot. Cut everything thinly. In a pan, put 2 tbs. of olive oil, the onions and garlic and start to cook at medium heat. After 5 minutes, when it starts to get golden, add the carrots cut in small pieces. Stir continuously in order the vegetables get well golden everywhere. After 5 more minutes, add the minced meat and let it get golden as well. Add the peas and the tomato sauce, salt, pepper and 1 tea spoon of sugar. Let it cook for 15 minutes at low heat, covered.

2/ In the meanwhile, in another fried-pan, put the bacon at medium heat and let it get golden. When the bacon dropped a good part of its fat, add the sliced mushrooms, stir well and let them cook for 7 minutes. Add some oregano and let it cool.

3/ Turn the oven at 180ºC.

4/ Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt. When the pasta is ¨al dente¨which means still a little bit hard, drain it and keep a little bit of the cooking water in the bottom of the pan with the pasta. It will avoid that the pasta sticks together while you prepare the gratin.

5/ In a large baking pan, put some oil in the bottom. Spread 3 big spoons of the tomato sauce, then the pasta, and cover it with the rest of the sauce. Pour on top the bacon and mushrooms and top with the grated cheese.

6/ Put the gratin in the oven for 10 minutes till the cheese melt and gets golden. Your gratin is ready! Enjoy!